Materializing Authority and Ritual: A Multi-Analytical study of jade Pig-Dragons from Yuanbaoshan Site, North China

The Hongshan culture (c. 4500–3000 BCE) of Neolithic China is renowned for its elaborate jade artifacts, among which the pig-dragon ( zhulong ) is an iconic yet enigmatic form associated with ritual significance. Here we present the first integrated study of three newly discovered pig-dragons from a single cairn at Yuanbaoshan, Inner Mongolia, using pXRF, Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR to investigate their composition, provenance, use, and depositional contexts. Our results reveal unexpected diversity: the three specimens are made of tremolite, serpentine, and marble, respectively. Spectroscopic analysis provide no evidence for the high-temperature treatment previously proposed for similar artifacts. Trace-element data indicate that the tremolite pig-dragon is inconsistent with the traditionally assumed Xiuyan source and instead most consistent with a local or near-local source, supported by comparison with a raw tremolite block excavated at the site. Use-wear evidence is consistent with use as a hafted sceptre-heads rather than solely as a personal ornament. Together with raw materials, unfinished objects, manufacturing debris, and numerous drilling cores from Yuanbaoshan, these findings provide evidence for on-site jade working and reveal substantial flexibility in material procurement, production, and ritual deposition. Rather than supporting a single procurement model, the Yuanbaoshan assemblage highlights regional and contextual diversity in Hongshan jade practices and demonstrates the value of integrating material science with contextual archaeology to investigate the relationships among resources, craft production, and ritual practice in early complex societies.